Manufacture of crepe threads or fabrics made of or containing cellulose esters



Patented an. 3, 1939 2,142,715

UNITED STATES 'PATE'NTT OFFICE I MANUFAGTURE ZZJIZPE v '4 memos MADE OF on CONTAINING CEL- ILULOSE ESTERS No Drawing. Application November 9,1935, Se-

rial No. 49,031. Renewed October 25, 1938. In Great'Britain November 27, 1934 4 I 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shrinking treatment employed to bring .out the crepe effect.

It has now been found that if intermittentlysaponified cellulose acetate or other cellulose ester threads are given a crepe twist in a hot aqueous medium, e. g. in a steamtwisting or hot water twisting process as described in, for example, British Patent Nos. 437,019, 438,590 and 438,591,

- 0 the threads enable particularly useful effects to be produced in fabrics, including attractive results that are not otherwise obtainable. Probably owing not only to the differential reaction of the different parts of the threads to the shrinking treatment to which the fabricis subjected, but

also to theidiflferent reactions of the saponified and unsaponified parts to the steam or hot water treatment during twisting, the threads exhibit a controlled irregularity of distorting power that goes to produce a novel crepe effect on the fabric. The degree to which the effect is present can be varied by altering thelength and frequency of the sapcnified parts of the threads and by vary ing the extent to which s'aponiiication is effected.

The saponification may be partial or complete and may be merely superficial or may extend I throughout the whole of m thread. I

In some cases the'crepe effect resembles that a tioned in that specification or with the agents de- 50 scribed in U. SfPatent Nb. 2,053,766 and British Patent Nos. 417,220, 428,224, 429,103, 430,349, 430,350, 430,351, 431,701, 432,027, 435,806, 440,034 and.441,5 44 to which specifications reference may be had for details as to. the carrying out of the u saponification with such agents.-

The threads may be twisted before being intermittently saponified, the final twist being added after saponification, in a steam or hot water twisting process as described above. Thus when the threads are intermittently saponifled concom- 5 .itantly with their production, as described in U. S. Patent No. 1,966,440, any desired twist may be inserted in the thread, e. g. by means of a cap spinning device, the final or creping twisting step beingc-arried out subsequently.

The crepe threads according to the invention may be woven into fabrics in any suitable manner, for example the weft alone maybe wholly or partially composed of such threads, or the warp also may contain them. It is foun'd convenient in general, howeven to eniploy threads of relatively lowtwist in the warp, and to employ as the weft both crepe threads, having a left-hand twist and crepe .threads'having a right-hand twist. The threads having right hand twist and those having left-hand twist may be incorporated in any convenient manner, for example pairs of weft threads of right-hand twist may alternate with pairs of threads of left-hand twist. For example, the threads may be used as weft with either low twist cellulose acetate or other cellulose ester warps, saponified cellulose acetate orother cellulose ester warps or viscose or other cellulosic warps, or intermittently saponified cellulose acetate or other cellulose ester warps; and the resultant fabrics may either be dyed-in a solid shade or cross-dyed.

While the ability of the intermittently saponlfied yarn to receive cross-dyed effects may be used to obtain pleasing cross-d d fabrics, it is to be noted that the fabric even when dyed in solid colours is most attractive in appearance because of the special crepe effect imparted by reason of the different reactions of the saponified and unsaponified portions to the twisting and shrinking treatments. When the yarn is intended for crossdyeing, the lengths and grouping of the saponified and unsaponified parts should preferably be such as to avoid the production of striped effects in the wovenfabric; a long, irregular grouping, especially inweft yarn, is therefore advisable.

The effects obtained in the crepe fabrics according to the invention are substantially pernianent, being particularly resistant to washing and ironing.

What Ielaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-'-

1. Process for the production of crepe fabric from thread containing filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic ester or cellulose, which 55 2 i ,sinsauo I twisted thread, and subjecting said fabric to a" scouring treatment whereby a crepe effect is produced in the fabric.

2. Process for the production of crepe fabric from thread containing filaments or cellulose acel0 tate or other organic ester of cellulose, which compises saponifying the filaments at intervals along the length of'the thread, subsequently twisting the thread to a high degree in the presence of steam, forming s fabric containing the 18 twisted thread, and subjecting said fabric to a a scouring treatment whereby-a crepe effect is produced in the fabric. r

3. Process for the production of crepe fabric from thread containing filaments of cellulose ace- 20 tate or other organic ester of cellulose, which comprises su cially saponifying the filaments at intervals along the length of the thread, subsequently twisting the thread to a high degree inthe presence of steam, forming a fabric contain- 25 ing the twisted thread, and subjecting said fabric to a scouring treatment whereby a crepe eifectis produced in the fabric,

4. Processfor the production of crepe fabric from" containing filaments of cellulose aceaq tate or other organic ester of cellulose} which comprises twisting the thread, saponifying the twisted filaments at intervals along the length of the thread,v subsequently further twisting the thread to a h degree in the presence of steam, all forming affa ric containing the twisted thread.

and subjecting saidfabric to a scouring treatment whereby a crepe effect is produced in the fabric.

5. Process for the production of crepe fabric from thread containing filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic ester of cellulose, which I comprises, twisting the thread, saponifying the twisted filaments at intervals along the length of the thread, subsequently further twisting the thread to a high degree in a hot aqueous medium,

forming a fabric containing the ;twisted thread, 10

and subjecting said fabric to a scouring treatment whereby a crepe effect is produced in the fabric.

6. Process for the production of crepe fabric. from thread containing filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic ester of cellulose which 15 comprises producing a plurality of filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic ester of cellulose, associating said filaments as a thread, and concomitantly with such production saponii'ying the filaments at intervals along the length of the $0 thread, subsequently twisting the thread to a high degree in the presence of steam, forming a' fabric containing the twisted thread, and subjecting said fabric to a scouring treatment whereby a crepe effect is produced in the fabric. :5

7. Process for the production of crepe fabric from thread containing filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic ester of cellulose, which comprises saponifying the filaments at intervals along the length of the thread. subsequently l0 twisting the thread to a high degree in hot water, forming a fabric containing the twisted thread,

' and subjecting said fabric to a scouring treatment whereby a crepe ect is produced in the fabric.

WILLIAM amxannnn mom. as i 

